Coleophoridae Overview

Hodges
(1998) defined Coleophoridae by the following: 1) hindwing with Rs and M1 separate,
M3 and CuA1 separate, connate, or stalked, antennal pecten present. Males have
the valva divided into costal and saccular lobes (except subfamily Perolonchinae)
with the costal lobe developed as a free lobe.
The family, which
includes three subfamilies, occurs worldwide with more than 1418 species in
43 genera (Hodges, 1998).

Coleophorinae
This subfamily is
defined by the autapomorphy of the gnathos being fused to the tegumen and consisting
of a sclerotized band with a mesial bulb bearing parallel rows of short spines.
Other characters (parallelisms) include: 1) uncus absent, 2) aedeagus ankylosed,
3) female frenulum with two acanthi fused distally and appearing as a single
acanthus, 4) female retinaculum with anteriorly directed scales between Sc and
R and posteriorly directed scales/setae on Sc, 5) forewing with CuA1 and CuA2
stalked and directed toward posterior margin from end of medial cell (Hodges,
1998). Abdominal terga A1-7 each have two patches of spines arranged longitudinally
instead of transversely (Scoble, 1992).
First instar larvae
are mostly leaf miners, whereas second instars construct cases from fragments
of leaves, frass, and silk (Scoble, 1992; Bucheli et al., 2002). Case bearing
larvae mine or skeletonize the surface of the leaf or feed in seeds or flowers
of hosts 34 plant families, mostly in monocots and dicots. Pupation occurs in
the case (Scoble, 1992; Hodges, 1998).
The subfamily occurs
worldwide, but are most diverse in the Holarctic Region, especially in the west
Palearctic Region and central Asia (Baldizzone et al., 2006). The most recent
catalogue of species includes 1342 species in five genera (Baldizzone et al.,
2006).

Momphinae
Hodges (1998) defined
this subfamily, formerly given family status, by the following parallelisms:
1) gnathos absent, 2) juxta with two, small, terminal lobes closely associated
with the aedeagus, 3) signa paired with a heavily sclerotized projection arising
from a light sclerotized, circular base, 4) female frenulum with anteriorly
directed scales on CuA.
Larvae feed primarily
on Onagraceae, but also on Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Halogoridaceae, and
Rubiaceae (Hodges, 1998). Larvae mine leaves or feed in stems, roots, or seed
pods, make galls, or live between spun leaves or flowers. The feeding strategy
may change from the first to the last instar (Wagner et al., 2004)
The subfamily occurs
primarily in the Holarctic Region and includes more than 60 species in six genera.

Blastobasinae
Hodges (1998) defined
Blastobasinae by two parallelisms: 1) forewing with pterostigma, also present
in some Teleiodini (Gelechiidae), 2) larva with submental pit, also present
in Syringopainae (Deoclonidae). The gnathos is uniformly wide, fused to the
tegumen, and sometimes incomplete mesially, the female frenulum consists of
two or three acanthae, the hindwing has M3 and CuA1 connate or stalked, and
an antennal notch may be present or absent.
Larvae feed on dead
and living plant tissue, and some are predators on Homoptera (Adamski and Brown,
1989). Valentenia glandulella feeds on acorns of Quercus spp., and may infest
more than a third of acorns from a single tree (Adamski, personal communication).
Blastobasinae includes
more than 300 species in 22 genera and are most diverse in the New World. However,
a large percentage of species in this subfamily remain undescribed.

Pterolonchinae
Hodges (1998) defined
Pterolonchinae by the following parallelisms: 1) abdominal second sternum with
apodemes only, 2) abdominal terga with spiniform setae in band across segment,
and 3) haustellum absent. In addition, the female retinaculum consists of diffusely
distributed, anteriorly directed, and slightly upturned scales and the hindwing
with M3 and Cu1 separate, both being ancestral conditions in the superfamily,
Larvae of Pterolonche
are root borers in Centaurea (Asteraceae).
The subfamily includes
eight species in two genera occurring in the Mediterranean region and South
Africa with an introduction into North America.

"This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DEB 416078. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation."